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My son (9 yrs old) has a mini strat so short scale. He can't really play but although he's had it for well over a year he has recently really become interested in learning. He isn't really doing much of anything per se now - just messing around and making noise. That's all fine with me - he's getting a feel for the instrument.

I am not sure if this is a function of the guitar's scale or that it's just not a high quality guitar, but it just will not stay in tune. He doesn't care - but I do if I have to listen to him flail away!

I had it strung w/ 10-46 strings and wonder if that's partly why it goes out of tune so easily? Would putting 11's on it help? I know that'll make it harder to play and it's a bit of rock and hard lace scenario but does anyone recommend that or maybe have another suggestion?

Also, the strings may be getting caught up in the nut (which would be worse with 11's). You can check this by alternately bending a string on both sides of the nut with a tuner installed. If they are binding then you can try some graphite in the nut slots, or file/sand the slots if the graphite doesn't work.

yup. 11s and a good nut will help a lot. i'd also check the bridge screws. several of mine were stripped and the back of the bridge would pull up when tuned to pitch. toothpicks and wood glue took care of it.

Thanks. I'll put some 11s on it and see. Will also check over everything and put some nut sauce in the nut slots when the old strings are off. I agree that it may be binding at the nut.

I had considered tuning it for him to another tuning like Open G or E but I'd rather *for now* let him fiddle with it in a regular tuning as he's messing with some simple single note tabs for "O Canada" and the "Hockey Night in Canada" TV theme song! I don't want to confuse him...

Gaz, I didn't mean for you to tune to an open "G", but to raise the pitch 3 frets worth, (as if it had a capo at the 3rd fret). 11's will be pretty heavy srtings for a child. I'd want very light gauge strings for a beginner.

I put 11s on it last night.
Much better tuning stability - really good, in fact. And shockingly, it's even pretty well intonated. I put some lemon oil on the fretboard, did a little dental floss job on the nut slots, put some nut sauce at the saddle and nut end and under the string trees (it has two) and all seems well. Because it's such a short scale, even 11s feel pretty slinky. He seems OK with it.

The goal for me/him really is just to get him used to making sound on the guitar and get a 'feel' for it... to just get a rhythm going even if it's out of tune or makes no sense. I want him to feel and mute the strings, hold a pick properly and just make noise. he does OK with this. He's not taking lessons and not really doing much of anything - he just for some reason has a rekindled interest and I'm kind of leaving him alone - to his own devices for now. Not forcing anything. He uses my little Roland Micro Cube amp.

If he holds the interest for a period of time then I'll consider a full size better quality guitar and perhaps lessons. He says he wants a Classic Vibe sunburst Strat (maple neck apparently)!

Some of his interest is obviously me and the fact there is a Strat and an acoustic always in the living room but I think Beatles RockBand for Wii has *a lot* to do with it. He loves that thing.

Note - the mini Strats are a PITA to restring! I hate that top loader bridge and trying to thread the string up and through the saddle. I also hate any tuner that isn't an old style Kluson!

.011s shouldn't be too bad on a short scale guitar for a nine year old.

Us old folks did not have the luxury of lighter gauge strings as kids. I started playing at age nine on a Gibson flattop strung with the standard .013s of the late '50s. I didn't see a set of lighter gauge strings until I was 18.

I agree it is most likely a nut issue. If I get a new guitar with a sticky nut I use a scrap of the appropriate-sized string to "floss" the nut groove for a couple of minutes. No more binding.

Yup. We had one of these when my son was little and I ended up putting 11s on it. It was playable after that but not a great guitar from the stability point of view. He now has a full size. I just wish he'd play it more!

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